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Skincare 101: Facial Serum, a Must or Not?

I was going through my skincare products a couple of weeks back and I realized that I only have one cream-based moisturizer that I normally use for day and night and another one is a gel-based moisturizer when I feel I need to layer my moisturizer when my skin is very dry.

Why is it surprising? As you might known already, I’m undoubtedly addicted to all things related to beauty products which include skincare. I have at least three different skincare lines at any given time that I can just switch whenever I see a change in my face. I currently have at least four different kinds of serum (full size or sample size). So the fact that I only have one cream-based moisturizer is appalling to me.

This led me to the conclusion that I pay much more attention to the serum that I’m using and the rest is actually complimentary for me. As long that it can work together with the serum that I’m currently using, I’m pretty much happy.

So why the excessive attention to serum instead of moisturizer? Moisturizers, as the name suggest, help to hydrate your skin and if you think that you don’t need any other things in your skincare routine to do this job, then you don’t really need to venture into serum. But for those who aren’t lucky enough to have problem-free skin, then serum will most likely be needed. I for one, have many problems with my skin that I would like to correct; discoulouration, acne spots, extreme dehydration at times and fine lines.

What is a serum? Facial serum is usually more highly concentrated product that can be made from water or oil. Usually it contains ten times more concentration of active ingredients compared to normal facial creams (moisturizer), therefore more likely serum will cost more than moisturizer. The molecule in serums are much finer therefore they can penetrate deeper into the layers of your skin, even those that moisturizers can’t reach. It is why a serum would be able to tackle a certain skin problem much faster than a moisturizer would. Serum simply nourishes your skin by giving it the ‘vitamins’ that it currently needs while moisturizer will maintain the hydration level in our skin.

There are many serums out there in the market but what you need to pay for attention to is not the brand or how successfully it has been marketed. Like any other skincare products, understand first the problem of your skin whether you want a serum for brightening, discolouration, extra hydration, anti aging or even any other problems you’re currently experiencing. Next, understand the ingredients that are contained within the serums, whether there are many active ingredients that would be beneficial to ‘correct’ the problem you’re having. You can ask around on our ‘Skincare & Makeup Ingredients Thread‘ if you have any doubt at all. Ask around or read the reviews of the serum that you want to purchase from fellow Female Daily members. We have a specific ‘Serum/Essence Thread‘ where you can just shoot any question related to that. Most importantly, understand the reviewer skin’s characteristic whether it echoes yours and you can relate to the problem or condition that she’s having so that you can get the most out of the review.

I have many serum reviews that I would like to write but haven’t found the time to write it, but bear with me as I would do it one of these days.

What about you? Do you use any serum within your skincare regimen and what is your favourite serum to date? Who knows, I would be tempted to try it next.